Would-be killer tried every trick to thwart the courts

PLASTIC SURGEON FINALLY BEHIND BARS

- By MARTIN NAYLOR

WOULD-BE killer Peter Brooks tried everything he could to avoid justice.

The 61-year-old cycled from his house in Southwell to the home of his victim, fellow surgeon Graeme Perks, about two miles away in Halam, in the middle of the night with two containers of petrol, a crowbar and a knife.

Dressed in camouflage clothing, the defendant broke in through a conservatory door while Mr Perks, his wife and his son were upstairs sleeping.

He then doused the inside of the property with petrol in an effort to start a fatal blaze.

Before he could set it alight, he was disturbed by his former colleague, who had come downstairs after hearing the noise. Brooks stabbed him in the abdomen.

Four years on, he has finally been sentenced for his crimes.

At Loughborough Magistrates' Court on Monday, Brooks was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years for attempted murder. But the whole process has been a challenging one for the Crown Prosecution Service.

Sam Shallow, deputy chief prosecutor in the East Midlands, said: "We can absolutely say that. for each of the nine trial listings, we have been ready from stage one.